Choose a test centre to explore recorded fault categories. These counts can help structure a conversation about observation, control and planning alongside your own lesson feedback.
A single test can record several faults, including more than one type. Counts are not numbers of failed tests or your chance of committing a fault. The attachment does not supply matching test denominators for a fault-rate calculation.
We use explicitly labelled January and February 2026 rows in DVSA’s July 2026 response. Later and unlabelled repeated blocks are excluded. A centre may have only one of these months; missing observations are not zero.
Use the figures alongside feedback from a qualified instructor. A recorded category does not identify a test route, exact junction or guaranteed manoeuvre. Historical category names are retained, including legacy labels.
313 unambiguously matched statistical centres. The source contains 314 named centre records; unmatched names remain in the downloadable data.
Sorted by serious-fault count, then dangerous-fault count. The driving-fault column is a separate severity category.
| Published fault category | Serious | Dangerous | Driving faults |
|---|---|---|---|
| Junctions - observation | 190 | 14 | 349 |
| Response to signs - road markings | 179 | 2 | 65 |
| Mirrors - change direction | 171 | 6 | 398 |
| Positioning - normal driving | 135 | 0 | 712 |
| Junctions - turning right | 110 | 0 | 129 |
| Response to signs - traffic lights | 96 | 1 | 100 |
| Response to signs - traffic signs | 95 | 0 | 31 |
| Maintain progess - speed | 81 | 1 | 866 |
| Control - steering | 74 | 7 | 818 |
| Clearance / obstructions | 64 | 2 | 464 |
| Move off - safely | 53 | 0 | 709 |
| Awareness/planning | 51 | 1 | 296 |
| Maintain progress - undue hesitation | 47 | 0 | 767 |
| Reverse park - Control | 47 | 0 | 404 |
| Move off - control | 44 | 0 | 529 |
| Reverse park - Observatons | 38 | 0 | 136 |
| Following distance | 37 | 0 | 200 |
| Judgement - meeting | 35 | 2 | 115 |
| Pedestrian crossing | 31 | 0 | 36 |
| Signals - correctly | 27 | 0 | 446 |
| Junctions - approach speed | 25 | 1 | 217 |
| Mirrors - change speed | 24 | 1 | 238 |
| Positioning - lane discipline | 24 | 1 | 78 |
| Judgement - crossing | 23 | 5 | 24 |
| Control - gears | 21 | 0 | 261 |
| Reverse right - Control | 20 | 0 | 64 |
| Response to signs - other road users | 16 | 0 | 44 |
| Reverse right - Observation | 13 | 0 | 73 |
| Use of speed | 11 | 1 | 140 |
| Position - normal stops | 11 | 0 | 185 |
| Junctions - turning left | 10 | 0 | 30 |
| Vehicle checks | 7 | 0 | 235 |
| Control Stop - Promptness | 6 | 0 | 9 |
| Mirrors - signalling | 6 | 0 | 527 |
| Signals - timed | 6 | 0 | 174 |
| Taxi/Forward Park cont | 5 | 1 | 116 |
| Junctions - cutting corners | 5 | 0 | 93 |
| Taxi/Forward Park obs | 5 | 0 | 25 |
| Control - Footbrake | 4 | 1 | 59 |
| Eyesight | 4 | 0 | 0 |
| Signals - necessary | 4 | 0 | 151 |
| Control - parking brake | 2 | 0 | 14 |
| Ancillary controls | 1 | 0 | 14 |
| Control - clutch | 1 | 0 | 44 |
| Judgement - overtaking | 1 | 0 | 3 |
| Control - accelerator | 0 | 0 | 2 |
| Control - balance | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Controlled stop - Control | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| ECO Driving | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Highway Code | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Precautions | 0 | 0 | 2 |
| Response to signs - traffic controllers | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| Reverse left - Control | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Reverse left - Observation | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Turn in road - Control | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Turn in road - Observations | 0 | 0 | 0 |
DVSA FOI response 2606-112694 and Annex H, published 1 July 2026. Our download preserves the source categories, per-month counts, original-file checksum and exclusions. Crown copyright information is reused under the default Open Government Licence; no individual test or candidate records are included.